DENVER—Today the full Senate voted 28-7 in favor of a measure that would provide increased transparency in the mining industry by making notices of mining intent open to the public.
Sponsored by Senator Gail Schwartz (D-Snowmass) and Representative Kathleen Curry (D-Gunnison), SB08-228 would make all information submitted to the Mined Land Reclamation Board in a notice of intent to conduct prospecting or modify existing notices subject to the Colorado Open Records Act.
“This bill provides a level of transparency for the public where it is often not found,” Schwartz said. “People deserve to know what’s happening in their communities. The more information people have access to, the better equipped they are to make decisions.”
The bill would require the person filing the notice to provide an electronic version to the board so that it could be posted on the board’s web site. One exception to the bill would exempt information specifying the location, size, nature of the mineral deposit, and other information designated by the operator as proprietary.
The bill next heads to the House for consideration.
